Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeon Criteria-An International Experts' Consensus.

PURPOSE: With the global epidemic of obesity, the importance of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is greater than ever before. Performing these surgeries requires academic training and the completion of a dedicated fellowship training program. This study aimed to develop guidelines based on expert consensus using a modified Delphi method to create the criteria for metabolic and bariatric surgeons that must be mastered before obtaining privileges to perform MBS. METHODS: Eighty-nine recognized MBS surgeons from 42 countries participated in the Modified Delphi consensus to vote on 30 statements in two rounds. An agreement/disagreement among ≥ 70.0% of the experts was regarded to indicate a consensus. RESULTS: Consensus was reached on 29 out of 30 statements. Most experts agreed that before getting privileges to perform MBS, surgeons must hold a general surgery degree and complete or have completed a dedicated fellowship training program. The experts agreed that the learning curves for the various operative procedures are approximately 25-50 operations for the LSG, 50-75 for the OAGB, and 75-100 for the RYGB. 93.1% of experts agreed that MBS surgeons should diligently record patients' data in their National or Global database. CONCLUSION: MBS surgeons should have a degree in general surgery and have been enrolled in a dedicated fellowship training program with a structured curriculum. The learning curve of MBS procedures is procedure dependent. MBS surgeons must demonstrate proficiency in managing postoperative complications, collaborate within a multidisciplinary team, commit to a minimum 2-year patient follow-up, and actively engage in national and international MBS societies.

Association of the gut microbiota with clinical variables in obese and lean Emirati subjects.

Background: Growing evidence supports the role of gut microbiota in obesity, yet exact associations remain largely unknown. Specifically, very little is known about this association in the Emirati population. Methods: We explored differences in gut microbiota composition, particularly the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio, between 43 obese and 31 lean adult Emirate counterparts, and its association with obesity markers, by using V3-V4 regions of 16 S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing data. Furthermore, we collected anthropometric and biochemical data. Results: The two major phyla in obese and lean groups were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. We observed a significantly lower alpha diversity (Shannon index) in obese subjects and a significant difference in beta diversity and phylum and genus levels between the two groups. The obese group had higher abundances of Verrucomicrobia and Saccharibacteira and lower abundances of Lentisphaerae. Acidaminococcus and Lachnospira were more abundant in obese subjects and positively correlated with adiposity markers. No correlations were found between the gut microbiota and biochemical variables, such as fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Conclusion: We reveal significant differences in the gut microbiota between obese and lean adult Emiratis and an association between certain microbial genera of the gut microbiota and obesity. A better understanding of the interactions between gut microbes, diet, lifestyle, and health is warranted.

Developing a contemporary community clinic for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction within the current National Health Service model.

INTRODUCTION: The diagnostic and therapeutic arsenal for heart failure with preserved ejection (HFpEF) has expanded. With novel therapies (eg, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors) and firmer recommendations to optimise non-cardiac comorbidities, it is unclear if outpatient HFpEF models can adequately deliver this. We; therefore, evaluated the efficacy of an existing dedicated HFpEF clinic to find innovative ways to design a more comprehensive model tailored to the modern era of HFpEF. METHODS: A single-centre retrospective analysis of 202 HFpEF outpatients was performed over 12 months before the COVID-19 pandemic. Baseline characteristics, clinic activities (eg, medication changes, lifestyle modifications, management of comorbidities) and follow-up arrangements were compared between a HFpEF and general cardiology clinic to assess their impact on mortality and morbidity at 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: Between the two clinic groups, the sample population was evenly matched with a typical HFpEF profile (mean age 79±9.6 years, 55% female and a high prevalence of cardiometabolic comorbidities). While follow-up practices were similar, the HFpEF clinic delivered significantly more interventions on lifestyle changes, blood pressure and heart rate control (p<0.0001) compared with the general clinic. Despite this, no significant differences in all-cause hospitalisation and mortality were observed. This may be attributed to the fact that clinic activities were primarily cardiology-focused. Importantly, non-cardiovascular admissions accounted for >60% of hospitalisation, including causes of recurrent admissions. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that existing general and emerging dedicated HFpEF clinics may not be adequate in addressing the multifaceted aspects of HFpEF as clinic activities concentrated primarily on cardiological measures. Although the small cohort and short follow-up period are important limitations, this study reminds clinicians that HFpEF patients are more at risk of non-cardiac than HF-related events. We have therefore proposed a pragmatic framework that can comprehensively deliver the modern guideline-directed recommendations and management of non-cardiac comorbidities through a multidisciplinary approach.

Patient Selection in One Anastomosis/Mini Gastric Bypass-an Expert Modified Delphi Consensus.

PURPOSE: One anastomosis/mini gastric bypass (OAGB/MGB) is up to date the third most performed obesity and metabolic procedure worldwide, which recently has been endorsed by ASMBS. The main criticisms are the risk of bile reflux, esophageal cancer, and malnutrition. Although IFSO has recognized this procedure, guidance is needed regarding selection criteria. To give clinicians a daily support in performing the right patient selection in OAGB/MGB, the aim of this paper is to generate clinical guidelines based on an expert modified Delphi consensus. METHODS: A committee of 57 recognized bariatric surgeons from 24 countries created 69 statements. Modified Delphi consensus voting was performed in two rounds. An agreement/disagreement among ≥ 70.0% of the experts was considered to indicate a consensus. RESULTS: Consensus was achieved for 56 statements. Remarkably, ≥ 90.0% of the experts felt that OAGB/MGB is an acceptable and suitable option "in patients with Body mass index (BMI) > 70, BMI > 60, BMI > 50 kg/m2 as a one-stage procedure," "as the second stage of a two-stage bariatric surgery after Sleeve Gastrectomy for BMI > 50 kg/m2 (instead of BPD/DS)," and "in patients with weight regain after restrictive procedures. No consensus was reached on the statement that OAGB/MGB is a suitable option in case of resistant Helicobacter pylori. This is likely as there is a concern that this procedure is associated with reflux and its related long-term complications including risk of cancer in the esophagus or stomach. Also no consensus reached on OAGB/MGB as conversional surgery in patients with GERD after restrictive procedures. Consensus for disagreement was predominantly achieved "in case of intestinal metaplasia of the stomach" (74.55%), "in patients with severe Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)(C,D)" (75.44%), "in patients with Barrett's metaplasia" (89.29%), and "in documented insulinoma" (89.47%). CONCLUSION: Patient selection in OAGB/MGB is still a point of discussion among experts. There was consensus that OAGB/MGB is a suitable option in elderly patients, patients with low BMI (30-35 kg/m2) with associated metabolic problems, and patients with BMIs more than 50 kg/m2 as one-stage procedure. OAGB/MGB can also be a safe procedure in vegetarian and vegan patients. Although OAGB/MGB can be a suitable procedure in patients with large hiatal hernia with concurrent hiatal hernia, it should not be offered to patients with grade C or D esophagitis or Barrett's metaplasia.

The Association between Peptide Hormones with Obesity and Insulin Resistance Markers in Lean and Obese Individuals in the United Arab Emirates.

Peptide hormones play a crucial role in body weight and glucose homeostasis. In this study, we aimed to explore this association and recruited 43 obese and 31 age- and sex-matched lean participants. We assessed their body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WtHR), percentage body fat (PBF), fasting blood levels of peptide hormones (GLP-1, GLP-2, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, CCK, and PYY), fasting blood sugar (FBS), and Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). We tested the associations between peptide hormones and markers of obesity and insulin resistance (IR) by using the Independent-Samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U test, partial correlation, and logistic regression. FBS, insulin, HOMA-IR, GLP-1, GLP-2, and leptin were significantly higher in the obese group; ghrelin and CCK were significantly higher in lean participants, and no difference was seen for PYY. Controlling for BMI, GLP-1 was positively correlated with WtHR, while ghrelin was inversely correlated with WtHR. GLP-1 was correlated with HOMA-IR. GLP-1 was associated with obesity and IR markers in the regression model. Our results show that obese and lean adults display significant differences in plasma peptide hormone levels. GLP-1 levels were independently associated with markers of obesity and IR. Restoring the appetite hormone balance in obesity may represent a potential therapeutic target.

Religious Fasting of Muslim Patients After Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: a Modified Delphi Consensus.

BACKGROUND: Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of the Muslim faith. Despite the positive effects of fasting on health, there are no guidelines or clear recommendations regarding fasting after metabolic/bariatric surgery (MBS). The current study reports the result of a modified Delphi consensus among expert metabolic/bariatric surgeons with experience in managing patients who fast after MBS. METHODS: A committee of 61 well-known metabolic and bariatric surgeons from 24 countries was created to participate in the Delphi consensus. The committee voted on 45 statements regarding recommendations and controversies around fasting after MBS. An agreement/disagreement ≥ of 70.0% was regarded as consensus. RESULTS: The experts reached a consensus on 40 out of 45 statements after two rounds of voting. One hundred percent of the experts believed that fasting needs special nutritional support in patients who underwent MBS. The decision regarding fasting must be coordinated among the surgeon, the nutritionist and the patient. At any time after MBS, 96.7% advised stopping fasting in the presence of persistent symptoms of intolerance. Seventy percent of the experts recommended delaying fasting after MBS for 6 to 12 months after combined and malabsorptive procedures according to the patient's situation and surgeon's experience, and 90.1% felt that proton pump inhibitors should be continued in patients who start fasting less than 6 months after MBS. There was consensus that fasting may help in weight loss, improvement/remission of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, dyslipidemia, hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus among 88.5%, 90.2%, 88.5%, 85.2% and 85.2% of experts, respectively. CONCLUSION: Experts voted and reached a consensus on 40 statements covering various aspects of fasting after MBS.

Analysis of Emergency Department Visits and Unplanned Readmission After Bariatric Surgery: An Experience From a Tertiary Referral Center.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment of morbid obesity. As the number of bariatric procedures performed has increased, visits to the emergency department (ED) and readmissions have subsequently increased. The present study aimed to assess the rates and indications for of ED visits and readmission after bariatric surgery and to identify the predictors of hospital readmission. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study on patients who underwent bariatric surgery from January 2018 to April 2020. The percentage of ED visits and unplanned readmission was estimated and the indications and management of each were analyzed. The association of age, sex, body mass index, and type of procedure with readmission was assessed. RESULTS: Of 582 patients who underwent bariatric surgery in the study period, 204 (35%) required ED visits, and 42 (7.2%) required readmission. The mean age of patients was 33 years, and the mean body mass index was 43 kg/m2. The most common indication for ED visits was abdominal pain (41.2%). In all, 64.8% of ED visits and 43% of readmissions were unrelated to bariatric surgery complications. A total of 94.1% of patients who required ED visits and 71.4% of readmitted patients were managed conservatively. The most common procedure followed by readmission was laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (50%) then one-anastomosis gastric bypass (21.4%). Age, sex, body mass index, and procedure type were not significantly associated with higher readmission. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of ED visits and readmission in our cohort were 35% and 7.2%, respectively. Most cases of ED visits were not related to adverse effects of bariatric surgery and the majority of which were managed conservatively.

Systematic review of the outcome of single-anastomosis sleeve ileal (SASI) bypass in treatment of morbid obesity with proportion meta-analysis of improvement in diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Single-anastomosis sleeve ileal (SASI) bypass has emerged as a promising bariatric and metabolic procedure. We aimed to review the current literature on the outcome of SASI procedure in terms of weight loss, improvement in comorbidities, and complications. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search, querying electronic databases and Google Scholar, for studies that reported the outcome of the SASI bypass. The main outcome measures of the review were change in body mass index (BMI), % of excess weight loss (%EWL), improvement in comorbidities, and complications after SASI bypass. RESULTS: This systematic review comprised ten studies including 941 patients with a median BMI of 45.6 kg/m2. The median %EWL at 6 months was 59.4% and significantly (p = 0.04) increased to 90.1% at 12 months. The weighted mean rate of improvement in diabetes mellitus was 99.1 (95%CI: 98.2-99.9, I2 = 0). The crude percentages of patients with improvement in hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and gastroesophageal reflux disease were 51%, 76.6%, and 92%, respectively. The median operation time was 111.3, ranging between 75 and 148.4 min. Complications were recorded in 116 (12.3%) patients. Longer common limb was associated with less %EWL at 6 months and less complications whereas larger anastomosis size was associated with higher weight loss and greater improvement in hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: SASI bypass was associated with good short-term outcomes in regard to weight loss and improvement in comorbidities, namely diabetes mellitus with an acceptably low complication rate.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass with Long Biliopancreatic Limb Compared to Single Anastomosis Sleeve Ileal (SASI) Bypass in Treatment of Morbid Obesity.

PURPOSE: Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment of morbid obesity. Bariatric procedures employ different mechanisms of action to induce weight loss. The present study aimed to compare single-anastomosis sleeve ileal (SASI) bypass and roux-en-Y gastric bypass RYGB with long biliopancreatic limb (BPL) in terms of weight loss, remission of comorbidities, complications, and nutritional status. METHODS: This was a single-center cohort study on patients with morbid obesity who underwent RYGB with long BPL of 150 cm or SASI bypass. The main outcome measures were weight loss and improvement in comorbidities at 12 months, nutritional status, and complications. RESULTS: The present study included 92 patients (59.8% females) of a mean age of 38.4 years and mean BMI of 42 kg/m2. RYGB and SASI bypass were followed by a significant decrease in body mass index at 12 months and were comparable in terms of excess and total weight loss. Improvement in comorbidities after the two procedures was similar. The serum albumin levels showed a significant decline after RYGB, but not after SASI bypass. The postoperative serum iron levels were higher after SASI bypass than after RYGB. There was no significant difference in regard to complication rates (13% vs 4.3%, p = 0.27). CONCLUSIONS: RYGB with long BPL and SASI bypass achieved satisfactory weight loss and improvement in comorbidities that were comparable among the two groups. Long BPL RYGB was followed by a significant decrease in serum albumin and iron levels at one year, which was not observed after SASI bypass.

Impact of Baseline BMI and Adherence to Follow-Up on the Outcome of Sleeve Gastrectomy in Treatment of Adolescent Obesity.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent obesity is considered a public health challenge. Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) may be considered a safe option for treatment of adolescent obesity. This study aimed to assess the outcomes of SG in treatment of severe obesity in adolescents, with emphasis on the impact of baseline body mass index (BMI) and adherence to follow-up. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study on adolescents with severe obesity who underwent SG at a tertiary referral bariatric center. The main outcome measures were weight loss, improvement in comorbidities at 12 months postoperatively, and complications. RESULTS: A total of 72 adolescent patients (47 female) of a mean BMI of 47.9 ± 7.1 kg/푚2 were enrolled in the study. The mean %TWL was 34.94 ± 9.35 and the mean %EWL was 73.47 ± 22.12. Complete remission was recorded in all patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), pre-DM, and sleep apnea, in 80% of patients with hypertension, and 57% of patients with hypothyroidism. The long-term complication rate after SG was 18%. Patients with higher preoperative BMI had significantly (p = 0.018) lower %EWL at 1 year. CONCLUSION: SG is an effective and safe surgical procedure for adolescents with severe obesity. It was associated with a significant weight loss, high comorbidity remission rates, and no mortality or serious complications. Lower baseline BMI and better adherence to follow-up were associated with better outcome of SG.

Sleeve Gastrectomy, One-Anastomosis Gastric Bypass (OAGB), and Single Anastomosis Sleeve Ileal (SASI) Bypass in Treatment of Morbid Obesity: a Retrospective Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity. The present study aimed to assess three bariatric procedures with different mechanisms of actions; sleeve gastrectomy (SG), one-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB), and single anastomosis sleeve ileal (SASI) bypass, in terms of efficacy and safety. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study on patients with morbid obesity who underwent SG, OAGB, or SASI bypass. The main outcome measures were weight loss and improvement in comorbidities at 6 and 12 months postoperatively, and complications. RESULTS: A total of 264 patients (186 female) with mean preoperative body mass index (BMI) of 43.6 ± 9.9 kg/m2were included to the study. Significant weight loss was recorded at 6 and 12 months after the three procedures. At 6 and 12 months postoperatively, body weight and BMI were significantly lower after SASI bypass than after SG and OAGB. The %total weight loss (%TWL) and %excess weight loss (%EWL) were significantly higher after SASI bypass than after SG and OAGB. SASI bypass was associated with a significantly higher rate of improvement in DM than SG and OAGB (97.7% vs 71.4% vs 86.7%; p = 0.04) whereas improvement in other comorbidities was similar. The short-term complication rate was similar between the three procedures, yet SASI bypass was followed by higher long-term complication rate. CONCLUSION: Based on retrospective review of data, SASI bypass was associated with more reduction in body weight and BMI, higher %TWL and %EWL, better improvement in T2DM, and more long-term nutritional complications than SG and OAGB.

Single anastomosis sleeve ileal (SASI) bypass versus sleeve gastrectomy: a case-matched multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to compare the outcome of single anastomosis sleeve ileal (SASI) bypass and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) in regards weight loss, improvement in comorbidities at 12 months of follow-up, and postoperative complications. METHODS: This was a case-matched, multicenter analysis of the outcome of patients who underwent SG or SASI bypass. Patients who underwent SASI bypass were matched with an equal number of patients who underwent SG in terms of age, sex, BMI, and comorbidities. The main outcome measures were excess weight loss (EWL) at 6 and 12 months after surgery, improvement in medical comorbidities, and complications. RESULTS: A total of 116 patients (97 female) of a mean age of 35.8 years were included. Fifty-eight patients underwent SASI bypass and an equal number underwent SG. %EWL at 6 months postoperatively was similar between the two groups. SASI bypass conferred significantly higher %EWL at 12 months than SG (72.6 Vs 60.4, p < 0.0001). Improvement in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) after SASI bypass was better than SG (95.8% Vs 70% and 85.7% Vs 18.2%, respectively). SASI bypass required longer operation time than SG (108.7 Vs 92.8 min, p < 0.0001). Complications occurred in 12 (20.7%) patients after SG and 4 (6.9%) patients after SASI bypass (p = 0.056). CONCLUSION: The %EWL at 12 months after SASI bypass was significantly higher than after SG. SASI bypass conferred better improvement in T2DM and GERD than SG. Both procedures had similar weight loss at 6 months postoperatively and comparable complication rates.

The possibility of using citric phosphate dextrose in chilling ram semen instead of egg yolk and soybean lecithin to improve fertility.

Semen chilling has some harmful effects on sperm characteristics. Modification of extenders by using conventional and non-conventional chilling substances can affect sperm characteristics and fertility. One of the important substances using to chilling human blood cells is citric phosphate dextrose (CPD); therefore, it can be used to store ram semen. This study aimed to assay the ability of CPD instead of egg yolk (EGD) and soybean lecithin (SLD)-based extenders to store ram semen at 5°C. This trial was carried on pooling semen samples that were collected from five rams using a standard artificial vagina and an oestrous restrained ewe. Immediately after semen collection, semen was divided into four portions. The EGD, SLD and citric phosphate dextrose with an antibiotic (CPDA) and without antibiotic (CPD) were extender in the first, second, third and fourth portions of semen, respectively. Sperm characteristics were evaluated after dilution and cooling up to 7 days. Also, conception rate and fertility potential were assayed by 48 ewes (12 each) after 2 days of store ram semen extenders. Data clearly indicated that higher (p > .05) sperm characteristics in EGD, SLD and CPDA than CPD at 0 day of storage. Whilst, sperm characteristics from 1 day up to 7 days of storage were higher (p < .05) in EGD, SLD, CPDA extenders than CPD. Moreover amongst extender types, the advancing of chilling days reduced sperm characteristics. Also, the results showed an acceptable conception rate and the fertility rate of dilution ram semen, which stored 2 days in EGD, SLD and CPDA than CPD. Using of CPD substances with antibiotic in chilling extension ram semen has benefits as well as EGD- and SLD-based extenders. The future work should be conducted to validate these results in frozen ram semen.

Evaluation of the Efficacy of Single Anastomosis Sleeve Ileal (SASI) Bypass for Patients with Morbid Obesity: a Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Single anastomosis sleeve ileal (SASI) bypass is a newly introduced bariatric and metabolic procedure. The present multicenter study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the SASI bypass in the treatment of patients with morbid obesity and the metabolic syndrome. METHODS: This is a retrospective, seven-country, multicenter study on patients with morbid obesity who underwent the SASI bypass. Data regarding patients' demographics, body mass index (BMI), percentage of total weight loss (%TWL), percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL), and improvement in comorbidities at 12 months postoperatively and postoperative complications were collected. RESULTS: Among 605 patients who underwent the SASI, 54 were excluded and 551 (390; 70.8% female) were included. At 12 months after the SASI, a significant decrease in the BMI was observed (43.2 ± 12.5 to 31.2 ± 9.7 kg/m2; p < 0.0001). The %TWL was 27.4 ± 13.4 and the %EWL was 63.9 ± 29.5. Among the 279 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), complete remission was recorded in 234 (83.9%) patients and partial improvement in 43 (15.4%) patients. Eighty-six (36.1%) patients with hypertension, 104 (65%) patients with hyperlipidemia, 37 (57.8%) patients with sleep apnea, and 70 (92.1%) patients with GERD achieved remission. Fifty-six (10.1%) complications and 2 (0.3%) mortalities were recorded. Most complications were minor. All patients had 12 months follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The SASI bypass is an effective bariatric and metabolic surgery that achieved satisfactory weight loss and improvement in medical comorbidities, including T2DM, hypertension, sleep apnea, and GERD, with a low complication rate.

Development and validation of a new GC-MS method for the detection of tramadol, O-desmethyltramadol, 6-acetylmorphine and morphine in blood, brain, liver and kidney of Wistar rats treated with the combination of heroin and tramadol.

Heroin is one of the most dangerous abused drugs in the world. Tramadol is an additive recently found at high concentration levels in street heroin seizures in Egypt. This substance could affect the usual analytical method for the detection of heroin and metabolites, as well as the pharmacokinetic and disposition of single analytes. One shortfall regarding this issue is present in the literature. This study describes a validated, simple, sensitive and selective method to determine tramadol, O-desmethyltramadol, 6-acetylmorphine and free morphine in the blood, brain, liver and kidney of Wistar rats, intraperitoneally treated with a combination of heroin and tramadol (10 and 70 mg/kg, respectively) using liquid-liquid extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detection. The calibration curves of tramadol, O-desmethyltramadol and 6-acetylmorphine in blood were linear in the concentration range from 25-5,000 ng/mL and morphine was found in the concentration range 50-5,000 ng/mL. The analytes were detected in all tested matrices, except 6-acetylmorphine, which was not detected in liver. The highest concentrations of tramadol and O-desmethyltramadol were observed in kidney (22,9381 and 28,498 ng/g), while 6-acetylmorphine and morphine were found at the highest levels in brain (3,280 and 3,899 ng/g, respectively). The present method is simple, rapid and sensitive and can be used to study the pharmacokinetics, disposition and interaction of these drugs in several animal models.

New HPLC method to detect individual opioids (heroin and tramadol) and their metabolites in the blood of rats on combination treatment.

Drug abuse is both an age-old and a constantly evolving problem in society. Trends in illicit drug use are highly fluid, with new formulations increasing in popularity. For this reason, methods for illicit drug detection and analysis need to be continually updated so they remain useful and relevant. A recent trend in street heroin production has seen it diluted with large amounts of tramadol in addition to the classical diluents such as acetaminophen and caffeine. This study describes a sensitive, simple and accurate high-performance liquid chromatographic method with ultraviolet detection for the simultaneous detection of heroin, 6-acetylmorphine, morphine, tramadol and O-desmethyltramadol in the blood of rats using a liquid-liquid back-extraction method. The separation was performed on LichroCART RP-18e with particle size of 5 µm (250 × 4.6 mm) with mobile phase acetonitrile-50 mM KH(2)PO(4) buffer, pH 7.1, using a gradient mode with a 1.0 mL/min flow rate. The calibration curves were linear in the concentration ranges 0.25-100 and 0.1-100 µg/mL for morphine and other analytes, respectively. Recovery values for the substances ranged between 59 and 83%. This technique was successfully used in pharmacokinetic studies measuring 6-acetylmorphine, morphine, tramadol and O-desmethyltramadol in the blood of rats intraperitoneally treated with a blend of 10 mg/kg heroin and 70 mg/kg tramadol. This technique shows promise for analysis of confiscated street heroin.

Comparative study between botulinum toxin injection and partial division of puborectalis for treating anismus.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the results of partial division of puborectalis (PDPR) versus local botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) injection in treating patients with anismus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective randomized study included 30 male patients suffering from anismus. Diagnosis was made by clinical examination, barium enema, colonoscopy, colonic transit time, anorectal manometry, balloon expulsion test, defecography, and electromyography. Patients were randomized into: group I which included 15 patients who were injected with BTX-A and group II which included 15 patients who underwent bilateral PDPR. Follow-up was conducted for about 1 year. Improvement was considered when patients returned to their normal habits. RESULTS: BTX-A injection achieved initial success in 13 patients (86.7%). However, long-term success persisted only in six patients (40%). This was in contrast to PDPR which achieved initial success in all patients (100%) with a long-term success in ten patients (66.6%). Recurrence was observed in seven patients (53.8%) and five patients (33.4%) following BTX-A injection and PDPR, respectively. Minor degrees of incontinence were confronted in two patients (13.3%) following PDPR. CONCLUSION: BTX-A injection seems to be successful for temporary treatment of anismus.

A light and scanning electron microscope study of the albino rat ileum after partial obstruction.

PURPOSE: Induction of an obstruction could be resorted to as a definitive line of management in some cases of short bowel syndrome (SBS). The goal of this study has been to elucidate histological and morphometric alterations in the albino rat ileum after surgically induced partial obstruction. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirty adult male albino rats (240-250 g) were used in this investigation. They were divided into two equal groups: control and experimental. Small pieces of the ileum of the control and experimental animals were processed for histological and scanning electron microscope study. RESULTS: The ileum of the experimental animals proximal to the site of obstruction showed an apparent enlargement in the Peyer's patches and an increase in the thickness of both the mucosa and muscle layers. The villi showed significant elongation and thickening. Both widening and deepening of the crypts were detected. There was an apparent increase in the goblet cell number and lymphocytic infiltration in both the corium and submucosa. In scanning electron microscopic examination, the microvilli showed scattered areas of shortening and irregular orientation. The surface was more frequently interrupted by goblet cell orifices. CONCLUSIONS: Partial ileal obstruction resulted in hypertrophy of the ileal wall with considerable structural alterations oral to the obstruction site. Thus, the procedure apparently increased the absorptive surface area together with reduction in the speed of intestinal transit. These effects could support taking this technique into consideration as one of the suggested lines of treatment of some cases of SBS to eliminate the patient's need for parenteral nutrition and all of its associated complications.